New Zealand Volcanoes

New Zealand has a lot of active volcanoes and a high frequency of eruptions.There are three major types of volcano in New Zealand.Volcanic activity in New Zealand occurs in six areas, five in the North Island and one offshore in the Kermadec Islands.

Volcanoes in New Zealand are grouped into areas of more intensive and long-lived activity, whose position (and the composition of the lavas erupted) can be related to the large-scale movement of the tectonic plates in the New Zealand region.

Most New Zealand volcanism in the last 1.6 million years has occurred in the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ). The zone extends from White Island to Ruapehu. The Taupo Volcanic Zone is extremely active on a world scale: it includes three frequently active cone volcanoes (Ruapehu, Tongariro/Ngauruhoe, White Island), and two of the most productive calderas in the world (Okataina and Taupo).